Watch: Ben Wheatley Directed Music Video For Editors’ “Formaldehyde”

Watch: Ben Wheatley Directed Music Video For Editors' “Formaldehyde”

While many filmmakers (think Mark Romanek or David Fincher among others) got their start doing music videos, “Kill List” and “Sightseers” helmer Ben Wheatley has cut his own freaky, unique path. “A lot of directors come up through making pop promos: I didn’t,” Wheatley told Creative Review. “My route in was through advertising, internet and television.” But it seems all you had to do was ask. And British band Editors did just that and the result is the director’s first music video ever.

And the results are appropriately freaky. The largely slow-mo video starts off with what appears to be a standard western setting, before some dudes in scary masks show up and the whole thing tips into the surreal by the finale. Yep, sounds like Wheatley. One could also see it as a sort of companion to his upcoming “A Field In England,” which in its own twisted way riffs on the genre (kind of). But regardless, Wheatley was just thrilled to do it. “Music plays a big part in my film work and I’ve always admired the work of Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham, David Wilson and Dougal Wilson to name but a few. I was very flattered to be asked,” he said. Check it out below. [MCN]